1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a puller for guitar bridge pins or the like. More specifically, the invention relates to a compact pocket tool for removing guitar bridge pins to change the strings, without causing damage to the portion of the guitar adjacent the pins.
2. Description of the Related Art
It can be appreciated that guitar bridge pin pullers have been in use for years. Typically a guitar bridge pin puller is comprised of a pin puller that is positioned beneath the head of the bridge pin and uses a prying motion to remove the pin. This type of puller is often provided in the form of a rounded notch in the end portion of a guitar tuning peg winder.
Another type of known pin puller does not use the same prying motion, but instead pulls the pin straight up. However, this device is generally made of plastic, and includes two opposed claw-like teeth which are respectively positioned beneath the head of the pin for application of a pulling force. With this device, the tool can slip off the head of the pin, or slide out of position while it is being pulled.
The main problem with the first mentioned type conventional guitar bridge pin pullers is that the prying motion will often damage the bridge of the guitar. For example, the bridge is often made of soft wood such as rosewood, and removing a bridge pin with the traditional lever-type pin remover will leave small indentations in the wood. Another problem with conventional guitar bridge pin pullers such as the second type mentioned hereinabove, is that since all of these pin pullers are generally made of plastic, the pin pulling capture notch often flexes under strain, causing the tool to pop off of the pin without removing it. Furthermore, the relatively weak plastic pin pulling capture notch often wears out over time, rendering the tool useless after repeated use. Still another problem with existing upward pulling-type pin pullers is that they are open at both ends, which allows the pin to easily slip out of the tool. This action can inadvertently cause the user to damage the face of the guitar. Additionally, such existing tools are almost always connected to a tuning peg winder as a combination tool. In such arrangement, the tool needs to swivel in order to wind the pegs. The swiveling motion sometimes makes it difficult to use the tool for pin pulling due to the movement of the tool head.
While these devices may be suitable on a limited basis for the particular purposes for which they are intended, they are not as suitable for removing guitar bridge pins in order to change the strings. As noted, the main problem with conventional guitar bridge pin pullers is that the prying motion will often damage the bridge of the guitar. The bridge is often made of a soft wood such as rosewood and removing a bridge pin with the traditional lever type pin remover will leave small indentations in the wood.
Another problem is that since all of these pin pullers are made of plastic, the pin pulling capture notch often flexes under strain, causing the tool to loose its grip and slip off the pin without removing it. This problem is underscored by the fact that the capture notch generally only includes two gripping teeth, spaced about 180 degrees apart. With this type of structure, the pin pulling capture notch often wears out over time.
After repeated uses the plastic notch can wear away, rendering the tool useless. The present invention departs substantially from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing, provides a compact apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of removing guitar bridge pins in order to change the strings.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of guitar bridge pin puller now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new construction wherein the same can be utilized for removing guitar pins in order to change the strings.